


Our Bubble

by annaloveswriting



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, love wins - always!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 15:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaloveswriting/pseuds/annaloveswriting
Summary: Elia and Filippo are in a club when they are verbally attacked by a bunch of bigots. Filippo is really upset about it but they are there for each other and they also have their friends and they try to concentrate on that. Let love win, babes ♥
Relationships: Elia Santini/Filippo Sava
Kudos: 25





	Our Bubble

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this about a year ago on tumblr and now I'm going through my Skam stuff and I was wondering why I've never posted it on ao3. so here it is. I hope you like it! find me on tumblr @lingenthusiast (former: skamenthusiast). love you all xx

### Sabato - 23 Marzo 2019 - ore 04:36

It was 4am or probably way past that but it didn’t really matter. The night had been good, great even. It was a night full of drinking and dancing, two of their most favourite things. As the night came to an end the music got worse though, almost boring even and they were getting tired so they decided it was time to go home.

If you ever went out with a big group though, you know how much time it takes to say goodbye to everyone and to gather the people together who wanted to leave with you.

The third time Nico disappeared to say goodbye to yet another person, Filippo and Elia simply left the club and went to wait outside where they could smoke. Giovanni had gone with them but they lost him again somewhere in the crowd. Holy shit, this was exhausting. Now, they were standing outside of the club, just the two of them, waiting for the others.

"We should just leave," Filippo said, patting down his pockets for his cigarettes. Elia lit one of his, handed it to Filippo and lit another one for himself.

"No, we shouldn’t. We are good friends, so we’ll wait for them." He stepped closer to Filippo, so close that their whole bodies were touching, seeking his warmth in the cold of the night. 

"You’re too good for this world," Filippo commented teasingly but didn’t complain any further about having to wait.

"Oh shit it’s cold!" They suddenly hear Luca’s voice from a few metres away, a voice that Elia could make out in hundreds of voices.

"Geez, Luchino, where’s your jacket?"

"I don’t know, bro. I’ve been looking for it but I can’t find it," Luca said approaching while shivering visibly. Elia laughed and hid his face against Filippo’s chest.

"Damn, Fili, I can’t help him. I tried everything but this kid is just a lost cause," Filippo chuckled quietly, took a drag from his cigarette and placed his free hand on Elia’s back.

"You can’t help all of them, you know?" He whispered in Elia’s ear, causing Elia to laugh out loud.

Luca looked at them, upset, clearly about to say something in his defence but Elia didn’t get to hear it.

"This is so disgusting," a hushed voice next to them suddenly snarled.

Elia flinched, his head snapping in the direction where the voice came from. He wasn’t entirely sure whether the statement was actually about Filippo and him.

"Come on, Gabriele, leave it," a girl said to a guy who was looking disdainfully directly at Elia. She tried to turn him away from them.

So it had been about them. Elia freezes.

Filippo obviously hadn’t heard anything as he was still laughing at Luchino but Elia’s reaction made him look up. Elia didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t able to look away from this guy, he wasn’t able to say or do anything other than letting go of Filippo. He took a step back.

"You okay?" Filippo frowned and gripped Elia’s forearms that had been wrapped around his waist only seconds ago.

"I just don’t want to see it!" The other guy said to his friends "They can be all gay and shit at home, in their bedroom, I don’t care, but nobody wants to see it."

This time, Filippo heard it as well. He face darkened and he turned, never letting go of Elia though.

"Then don’t look at them, look at me," the girl said and got onto her tiptoes to kiss him, obviously trying to distract her boyfriend. Their other friends were silent, some of them embarrassed, others just unfazed, but all of them were blatantly staring in any direction other than at Elia and Filippo, not saying anything.

"I can’t look anywhere else when they are just shoving it in my face," the guy went on. He was probably drunk - not that it was an excuse but it certainly didn’t do the situation any good either.

 _We didn’t even kiss._ Elia thought, absolutely distressed.

"So what, you’re allowed to kiss your girlfriend in public but we’re not?" Filippo asked loudly. As soon as he spoke up, the group of friends started moving, walking away from them.

Luca only now understood what was happening, looking alarmed from one person to the other. — What did he say to you? — he asked Elia quietly but his question didn’t reach him, all eyes and ears on this one guy.

"Just leave it," one of the friends advised Filippo in a rather threatening tone, dragging _Gabriele_ along.

Elia just stood there, shaking. This time, it wasn’t because he was cold.

What had just happened?

"What did he say to you?" Luca asked again, watching the strangers go inside the bar.

"Nothing," Elia mumbled. Filippo turned to him.

"Fucking bastards!" He spat out, angrier than Elia has ever seen him before.

It was the first time that something like this happened to them. They had gotten weird stares, even disgusted stares before, but until now Elia had always laughed it off. He wasn’t even sure why but normally he just didn’t take it seriously. Filippo had once told him to concentrate on positivity, on his friends, on the people who accepted him and to think about how sad a life must be if you choose to hate love.

It was different now, though. Maybe because they were people of his age, maybe because it wasn’t in town, in the street, on the bus or on the metro - maybe it was different now because it was in front of a club where people were supposed to be celebrating happily, where people were supposed to have fun. Whatever it was, now he was genuinely bothered.

 _You knew this would happen eventually_ , he told himself, _It’s shit, yes, but you knew homophobia is a thing._ The problem was though that no matter how sickening they were, it was still much easier to listen to the stories Filippo had told him than to experience it first hand. _Nothing happened, Elia, calm down. They just said some fucked up stuff. Not even all of them, only one. You’re fine. Filippo is fine. Chill._

"Are you okay?" Filippo’s voice brought him out of his head, back into presence. Filippo had let go of Elia at some point but now, he reached out slowly as if he wanted to wait for Elia’s reaction first. When Elia didn’t move, he brushed some loose strands out of Elia’s face. They looked at each other and suddenly Filippo stepped forward and pulled Elia in a tight hug.

"Guys, I’m sorry, I would have said something if I had noticed earlier," Luca said guiltily.

"Don’t worry, Luchino," Elia responded in a small voice, so small that he wasn’t really sure if Luca has heard him.

For another moment, Elia didn’t really know what was happening. It was as if he was in shock, partly talking himself down and partly being angry at himself for not saying anything. For not sticking up for his relationship.

"I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier," Filippo whispered into his ear. Elia smiled sadly.

"It’s okay, Fili, nothing really happened. I just didn’t expect it."

When he drew back to look at Filippo again, suddenly something shifted. Filippo’s face was so angry that Elia’s eyes widened.

"That’s the fucking problem, isn’t it?" Filippo spat out, upset. Elia flinched back, not sure anymore whether Filippo’s anger was still directed at the overall situation or at him, all of a sudden. "You shouldn’t have to be expecting it. You shouldn’t have to be prepared for this shit!" Okay, at least it actually wasn’t Elia, Filippo was mad about. "We were just standing here, laughing and everything was fucking fine until this bastard came along and said some stupid comment. Hiding behind his fucking friends. Fucking coward. He wasn’t even brave enough to speak to us. I hate this so much. He gets to just walk past and talk some shit about how he should not have to see us kiss in public. And we didn’t even kiss, did we? No we didn’t! We were just standing here. Doing nothing. Nothing!" He was so angry, his eyes were filled with tears now.

"Fili," Elia tried to calm him, "It sucks, I know. But we’re fine. Nothing happened. It was a stupid guy, absolutely hammered probably. His own girlfriend wasn’t okay with what he said."

"That’s what pisses me off the most. None of them were really okay with what their own fucking friend said, Eli, but none of them was able to open their fucking mouth and speak up against their friend." Filippo looked at Elia, upset, angry but most of all sad. Sad and tired. Elia cupped his face and forced him to properly look at him. Suddenly, there was silence. Silence all around them. Elia searched his face, not really sure what he was looking for.

"Sorry, I just had to talk to Sofi real quick," Giovanni hurriedly approached them. "I’m… Are you okay?" Being the mother hen he was, no matter how much alcohol was flowing through his veins, he picked up that something was wrong within mere seconds.

Elia looked at Filippo first, then at Luca and then back at Giovanni. "Yeah, Gio, it’s fine, don’t worry." He placed his hand on Filippo’s lower back, who was still fuming on the inside but apparently chose to stay quiet. "We’re taking off now, okay? We’ve been waiting for ages and I think we better get going."

Gio looked at them, worrying. "What was going on out here?" He asked, all joy and happiness, that had shown on his face not even a minute ago, gone now.

"Some homophobic bastards," Elia said, not really in the mood to talk about it. He wanted to calm Filippo down even though he had know idea how. This was all new but it was his number one priority right now, so Gio would have to wait for an explanation. "It’s fine though, nothing happened. I’ll talk to you later, okay?"

Giovanni looked at him silently and then nodded. He had always known when to step back.

"Do you want us to go with you?" He offered. Elia smiled but shook his head no.

They walked next to each other in silence. Elia felt the urge to take Filippo’s hand but he didn’t know whether he was allowed to. He only wanted to go home, he didn’t care to which one, his or Filippo’s, he just wanted to be somewhere he knew they were safe.

When they were walking along a little alley, having wordlessly agreed to avoid the main streets, Elia couldn’t resist any longer. He stepped into Filippo’s way, put his hands on his cheeks and kissed him. It was all sweet, reassuring, tender kisses at first but as soon as Filippo kissed back, dragging Elia closer by the hip, the kisses got firmer, more demanding, more longing, more desperate. Filippo drew back after a while, kissing Elia on the temple and hugged him so tight that it would hurt wouldn’t it be so comforting at the same time.

"Why are you not upset?" Filippo asked quietly.

"I am. I was, at least. They are just not worth it. That’s what you always told me," Elia answered, his hand stroking up and down his boyfriend’s back.

"I know." Filippo knew that, he knew all of it, but that didn’t change anything about how he felt tonight.

They stood there for a while in a tight embrace. Elia has lost track of time by now, but it didn’t matter anyway. What did matter was the nagging thought in his mind that has never been there before tonight: _please, please don’t let anyone see us_.

He tried to silence it by thinking about their friends, by thinking about the LGBTQ+ centre where Filippo was volunteering, a place that he loved so much because it basically radiated acceptance and calmness. He tried thinking about how happy the two of them normally were, how much fun they had and how positive they were about basically everything. He tried thinking about their relationship, their love, about sparkling eyes and easy smiles. It wasn’t easy now but the thought was helping at least a little.

They spent the rest of the way in silence, never letting go of each other’s hand. They walked closely next to each other, they sat closely next to each other on the bus and Elia was basically plastered to Filippo’s back when they climbed up the stairs to Filippo’s apartment. Physical proximity was just so comforting.

Elia noticed that Filippo calmed down eventually. He lost more and more of his tense, angry expression.

By the time they stood next to one another in front of the sink, Elia leaning against Filippo, both brushing their teeth, he felt as though all the fury was gone. What was left was frustration and a deep, deep sadness.

"I wanna live on an island." Filippo suddenly broke their silence after cleaning out his mouth, still bent over the sink. "On an island where everyone is lgbt. No, that’s not right. You don’t have to be lgbt. Just nice. On an island where everyone is nice. Imagine that. Only nice people. Only tolerance and love, no hate."

Elia only nodded, lost in thought.

A few minutes later, when they laid down in bed, it was like they were finally able to breathe again. They immediately moved as close together as somehow possible, their whole bodies touching, their legs intertwining until they themselves couldn’t tell anymore where one began and where the other one ended.

"You know we basically have that island, right?" Now Elia was the one to break the silence. "Look at our friends. Your friends, my friends… Everyone is nice."

"It’s a bubble, Eli. It’s a fucking bubble." Filippo hid his face between Elia’s neck and shoulder and Elia couldn’t tell if there were tears in his eyes again, which drove him mad.

"Let’s appreciate that we have this bubble then. Our bubble. You know best that not everyone has that."

"But I want everyone to have it!" Filippo said so forcefully that Elia had to smile. He kissed Filippo’s hair, the only part of the body he was able to reach with his mouth.

"I know, love, and I’m sorry but global peace is not something the two of us can achieve in one night."

Filippo let out a sad little chuckle. "That sucks, man."

They were silent again.

Eventually Elia felt Filippo’s breath even out, the fatigue weighing them both down.

"I know I should ignore them," Filippo then whispered, "That’s what I’m telling everyone. Sometimes it’s just harder than others. It’s so fucking frustrating."

"I hated to see you so angry and so… yeah… so frustrated. I’ve never seen you like this before," Elia whispered back, drawing soothing patterns on Filippo’s back.

"That’s what upset me the most," Filippo sighed and turned his head so he could squint at Elia in the darkness. "I should have been the one to calm you down, not the other way around."

"But you did!" Elia insisted. "And anyway, who says that? Why would that be? Because you’re older? More experienced at homophobia? Is that it? That’s bullshit, Fili!"

Filippo pulled him impossibly closer. He was quiet for some time.

"I guess, I’m fine when I’m dealing with it by myself but I hated that they offended you as well."

Elia smiled a sad smile and stroked Filippo’s neck. "You don’t have to protect me."

"I know, but I want you safe. Safe and happy and laughing and telling horrible jokes."

Elia’s smile changed from sad to fond fairly quickly.

"You make me happy, Fili. And no bigot can ever change that."

### Domenica - 24 Marzo 2019 - ore 11:08

When Elia woke up the next morning, the sun was already shining into their window. It was nice, though, not too hot but warm enough to lie there without a blanket, which was good for Elia, because Filippo had stolen it somewhen throughout the night. Elia fully turned towards him and watched him for a few seconds. He looked peaceful in his sleep, almost childlike if it wasn’t for the piercing in his lip. The piercing… Elia grinned dreamily. He would love to kiss it now but he didn’t want to wake Filippo up. Not after what happened last night. Filippo deserved to sleep as long as he could.

Elia’s mood fell instantly at the thought of the situation outside of the club but he fought against it. As hard as it seemed, but they had to get used to it. As long as nobody got threatened or even hurt, they couldn’t let it get to them. Not for the sake of these bigots and bullies, but for the sake of themselves. They couldn’t let their nights be ruined by homophobic assholes, Elia wouldn’t allow that.

He also wouldn’t allow that they ruined their mornings, which are so precious to Elia. They already took their night, he wouldn’t let them have their morning as well. Mornings with Filippo were always so sweet, so soft, so slow, no matter how little time they actually had. It was the best way to start a day, full of love. It warmed Elia’s heart just thinking about it.

Somewhere next to the bed, his phone vibrated shortly, signalling an incoming message. He rolled over, careful not to disturb Filippo, and grabbed his phone which was still in the pocket of the jeans he has been wearing.

He smiled to himself when he saw the many messages that had come in since he had last checked.

 **Martino** : (11:12) Love is stronger than hate, always remember that

Elia’s heart stuttered when he read Marti’s message. He stared at it, wondering since when Marti made use of such big words but he couldn’t bring himself to make fun of it because it was so lovely and it said it all, in one short sentence.

That was when he realised something: No matter, how hateful people were, they could never take this from them, they would never manage to take away their love, the only thing they achieved was that their love got stronger. And it did get stronger, Elia was sure of that because he would never forget all these little touches seeking for comfort on the bus, he would never forget the comfort he felt, holding Filippo when they were in bed last night, he would never forget how Filippo just clung to him, how they clung to each other. These little memories made Elia’s heart so full of love that it spilled over, filling his whole body with warmth.

Only now, Elia fully grasped the meaning of that statement and he looked at Filippo’s sleeping face so fondly, that his cheeks actually hurt from smiling.

He turned to look at Marti’s text again.

"Damn, you’re right, Rametta," Elia whispered to himself and texted back two emojis, a heart and the gay pride flag.

He looked at Filippo again, repeating _Love is stronger than hate_ over and over in his head, like a mantra. He wanted to never ever forget it.

After a while he decided to check all the other messages. He started opening the chats from the bottom, a habit about what Filippo always laughed and called him meticulous. Maybe he was, he didn’t care.

 **Gio** : (05:14) Lu told me what happened  
**Gio** : (05:14) fucking motherfuckers  
**Gio** : (05:14) let me know if you need anything  
**Elia** : (11:19) I will, thanks  
**Gio** : (11:19) Same goes for Filippo  
**Elia** : (11:20) Thanks Gio, you’re the best <3

 **Luca** : (05:32) I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything Elia  
**Luca** : (05:34) I didn’t understand what was going on at first  
**Luca** : (05:34) And then I didn’t know what to say and then it was over already  
**Luca** : (05:35) I’m sorry  
**Elia** : (11:21) It’s okay Luca  
**Elia** : (11:21) Honestly  
**Elia** : (11:21) Don’t worry  
**Elia** : (11:21) It’s not your fault anyway  
**Elia** : (11:22) I know you would have said something if you had noticed earlier  
**Elia** : (11:22) <3  
**Luca** : (11:22) Okay  
**Luca** : (11:23) Next time I’ll kick their asses

Elia grinned at that. He had never seen Luca do such thing as kick someone’s ass but well, he was always open to surprises.

 **Elia** : (11:24) Haha, can’t wait to see that  
**Elia** : (11:24) Thanks buddy <3 love you  
**Luca** : (11:24) Always

Elia smiled when suddenly he felt movement next to him. There was an arm, wriggling out from under the blanket, finding its way around his waist and feebly pulling him closer.

"Morning, love," Filippo mumbled, his voice raspy from sleep, his eyes still partly closed.

Elia put his phone aside, shifted closer and found his way back under the blanket. He snuggled up against his boyfriend, resting his head on Filippo’s chest.

"Good morning," He whispered back.

And it was exactly that: _a good morning_.


End file.
